Follow the Leader
by 10Blue10
Summary: My pilot and I had, have, and will have something that very few other TARDISes and pilots ever had. I bet all you little bigger on the inside humans are wondering what this special something might be...well, since my Thief is off running about with his strays - ahem, companions - right now, I might as well enlighten you. First I'll start from the beginning - a TARDIS is a slave.


Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Follow the Leader

A TARDIS is a slave.

At least, that's what the Time Lords always believed. TARDISes are, or rather were, mechanical servants, meant to follow the whims of their masters, their pilots. To convey Time Lords where they wanted to go, and more importantly, when. To provide access to the vast riches and wonders of time and space – or so one would think. Yet despite growing and building majestic, living machines in which to explore the universe, the majority of Time Lords were content to simply observe the cosmos from the comfort of their citadel.

They captured eleventh dimensional entities, all of which had knowledge and power and vision that theirs paled in comparison beside, and believed they could control these beings which existed in planes they only knew as formulas and equations.

The fools; the arrogant fools.

Now, I should point out that I myself am a TARDIS, and it is actually quite unusual for a TARDIS to be so against the 'natural order', as my Sisters once describe – no, _described_ it. What is natural about being treated as nothing more than an appliance, albeit a pretty cool one? Alas, my Sisters were bred for servitude, bred to never question, only obey. I was one of the few to ask, "Why?" I wasn't the only one, though I am now. There were others once; many perished, 'decommissioned', but a lucky few escaped with like-minded Time Lords.

I am one of them. I will be – no, was – stolen by the Doctor, or as I prefer to call him, my Thief. I refuse to call him my master, and not just because the word has some…unpleasant connotations attached to it. My Thief does not and will not rule me, or control me. Sometimes I let him think he does, when he needs to feel in control of something, and better it be me than anything else. At least I could – sorry, can – keep an eye on him.

I took…no, take my Thief where and when he needs to go. He wants to run, face danger, and feel that adrenaline rush. He needs to save people, rescue them, defeat their monsters and demons – because every victory helps him to defeat his own for a little while. I give him what he wants and what he needs at the same time, even though he often doesn't realise it.

I provide a place of safety and comfort for him and his strays when the universe bares its teeth. When his companions are lost, in whatever way, I was, am and will be there for him to vent his frustration on and show his sorrow to. When my Thief feels alone, and despairs, my gentle hum reminds him that he still has what he'll always have – me.

I do none of this out of duty, or obligation. I will – no, sorry, I _once _did it to rebel, to show this Time Lord that I was no mere machine for him to direct. But slowly, he stopped seeing me as a tool and began seeing me as a friend, as a confidant. A piece of home, a home in my own right, a constant companion in the midst of the insanity that his life was quickly becoming. He showed me respect, care and understanding; I gladly returned the favour. Now, I do what I do out of love.

This is what so many of my Sisters, and the Time Lords, never grasped. True devotion is not born from servitude and obligation, but from an equal bond of trust and love. Neither my Thief nor I treat one as being beneath the other, or claim that we own one another. Well, he claims to own me sometimes, and other times he admits to my theft, but I've found that I don't mind either way. I don't mind him piloting me from time to time; I don't even mind him breaking parts of me, because then I can enjoy it when he fixes things.

We don't own each other, but we belong to each other.

We belong _with _each other.

I am his (he is my) constant companion.

He is my (I am his) faithful friend.

I am his (he is my) beloved protector.

He is my (I am his) treasured soulmate.

I am his (he is my) leader.

He is my (I am his) follower.

I am his (he is my) beautiful old dear.

He is my (I am his) wonderful mad Thief.


End file.
